Best available cop



BEST AVAiLABLE COP (N0 Mod el I L FINN.

OIL TANK PROTECTOR.

Patentsd Dec. 18, 1883.

lNVENTOR AvAnABLE opy BEST AVAILABLE COP.

oust. Finn, nngfnin, gassiexon or oNnnALF oJAMEs 'RRYDER}; or CLEVELAND, 01110., a I

China-TANK PROTECTOR.

ename-em}, forming-1 m of Letters Patent No. 29o,55e,'dmd December 1 ,3888.

" I Applinntion filed .lul v9. 18kll! (No model.) v

Tqall whom zit may care/earn.- i

Be it known that LJOHN L. FINN, of Elyria, ii1 the county of Lorain and of Ohio, have invented at certain new 'and Improved 5, Oil-Tank Protector; and I do hereby declare 'that'the following :isa full, clear, and complete description thereof.

It is'wellknoi vn that the explosion of oiltanhs is due, to z great extent, to theaeoumu- 1o lotions and retention signs or vapor in the tank above the oil therein, and to the presence ofgas floating and lingering about the outside of the tank from which it escapes. In the event the escaping ges becomes ignited, it communioates'at once its heat and flame to the gas-vvithin'the tank, and a consequent explosionmhesplacetherein. C

uogufird against such 'ae'cidents is the ob ject of the above-mentioned invention, and

20 which is eifected by a continuous eduction of gas from the inside of ihe tank by means of a siphon-pipe, and thereby conducted ad istnnoe away from the tank and disposed-of by burning-or other means at the outlet of said si- 2'5 phon-p'ipe.

The following is it detailed description of the construction and operation of the abovespecified invention, and for illustratingthe same reference will be had to the annexed 0 drawing, making apart of this specifiention,

tlie'iigure being an elevation of the tank partially broken away.

As shown in the drzi wii'ig, A represents mi Oil-mink, \Yil'iCllHl Ii- V be of :my holding, capacity, and of the usual. innterialr B is it pipe entering the side of thetanl; near the top above the highest oil-line therein. Saidpipo terminates in the iniil-L at X, and we tends Hum-from to th outside, thence to the 0 groumhin which it maybe laid and extended to the point i'pgi'hich maybe more or less distent from the te.nl

To the end of thepipe B in the tank is connected a pipe, 0, which extends down into 5 the tank and terminates therein near the bottom. Said pipe 0 may be considered as neontinuntion oi the pipe 3,01 :ileg of tliesiphonpipe.

G- is a flexible sheath or sleeve inelosing the extension-pipe (l, ubove alluded to; The upper end of the flexible sleeve is made fast to the collar a, so as to form an air-tight joint, and the sleeve descends therefrom" to a-ifloat,

F, to which it is secured,asabove,and through which the pipe 0 freelypasses, so that thefloat, may move upward and downwardl therepnghs end for the purpose presentlyshoivn.

In the side of the float, 'above the oil E', are Y one or; ore openings, a, and in tliepipe Gris a longitudinal slotQD, or a serieEofperfofa? 6otions, These openihgsplace'the spaoejbove the oil in communication or bp'eraitioil with the interior pfsaid pipe, to allowthe or. vapor to escape from the tank thro'u ithe openings (1' and D in the flout end ieG.

p %he prziotica-l. operation. of the ib ve-de-f -suribed denies is: as drawing, b represents thoi'surfeee of'the on inthe tank, upon which'thB-fioat F portion of the tank is broken away, that it may; I be seen. The gas, being oonstaiitly eliminotd from the oil, passes from the 'speoe abovetho oil into the pipe- 0,.through the openi n indicated by the arrows. Theflexiblo' eeve; I being made gas-tight in its; GOimeetion aV-a" with the pipe B, and at a"with the float, prevent's'the gas in the space above the oil from entering the pi e G above'its connection with l the float, there y establishing asiphon coin- 8o innnieation between the outside end, Y, 'of'the pipe and the gas-spaee above theoil, thereby causing a, current of gas or vapor to flow therefrom through pipe 0. Thus, when the hemp vapor eliminated from the body of oil in the 8 ta nk has filled'the space in the-ta'nkebove the oil up to the elbow/X of the siphon, itivill also have filled the pipe Ctothe sain'e height-.- "ihe vapor-will then descend or gravitate skiing l the siphon from the elbow to 'tlife" outlet L ves while the lighter vapor will comm; eend in the tank and escape therefromthr it'gh the opening in the tdp, q.nd itslightneSs become dissipated in the Iair, Ifithe heavy vapor accumulates in the space above theoil, 5 so as to fill the siphon-pipe, the pipe vj'ill then act on the volume of vapor in the tank by the same law that it would if aoting on a. fluid-- that is to say, the pipewill then act as a siphon, and draw oil all the heavy vapor down to-the surface of the oil, discharging it at-theoutlet Y. The lighter gas, if any there be, willthen n in a i 290,555 VAILABL C P be-admitted into the pipe along with the heavy vapor, and by its presence arrest the acti'onof the siphon, as air does, under like conditions,

when a siphon is acting on fluid. 5 It be obvious that the art-ion of the jsiphonis'intermittent and automatic. 'When the vapor is all drawn oil down to the inlet a, its-action ceases, and does not again take place untilthe heavy vapor has again filled the space i o andp'ipe. Then thesi phonic action of the pipe isrepeated-and so on, intermittently and au- .toinatically, as -above specified, It will be ob- Yious that-this eduetion of gas 01- vapor from the tank 'o n a siphonic principle must dis- 15 charge the. gas from the tank as fast as it is produced thereim'h'ence there can be no explosion of gasor vapor in the tank, it having .beendrawn from thetank by the siphon and disposed of..- -A s' the oil in the. tank lowers .zojbybeingdravin oif, the float sinks down there- .in, and the flexible sleeve extends and covers "the openingsin the pipe 0 above the float as Y fast-as-thefloatsinks, so that the air cannot ehtep'the-pipe above' the openings in the float manifest the working ofi the siphon from i]. the float neeessarily rises with the oil, and hesleeve, in conseqnence of its flexiblenaure,.contract.s orifolds up as the float rises, therehy'nn'covering the. slot or perforations i yfl e pipe 0,150 that the gas may enter thereinfllrough'the opening a, as above mentioned.

qlightning-rod attached to the side I th' t 'mk, and in metallic connection there.

ha'rmlessly to theground all discharges it may,

it, should not be gas-tight th'roughontf! jconducting the gas from the tank to the out sidejmint Yr. Agaimon filling the tank with j with and not insulated, but terminating in the 4 I ground in the usual way,- which will convey perforated diaphragms, to arrestsparks and keep them from entering the tank in the event of the. drifting embers from distant fires passing over or aboutthe tank, (shown by the inside of the tank, 'asthisfs necessarytothd operation of ,t-he'siphon, and at :th'e tiinfl' relieves fih k r m e s sr s reth i by very n ateri 'Qlly. lesseiiin'gthe, of I gas from the tank i'n' the eventfith 55' .What I claim as my invention, anddes h-e to secure by Letters Patent, is-' I -1 '1. In oil-tanks .for the purpose specified, the combination-therewith of a siphon consisting of the pipes B and 3, the pipe B'ex oa tending down the outsideof the t-ankand terminating remote therefrom, and the-pipe C J passing down into the tank, and provided with a'longitudinal slotor' slots, 0 with a series of perfoiations, with the float, and flexible sleev inelosing the pipe 0 above thefloat, constrilcted and arranged to operate substantially in the manneras herein'described. a

2. In] combination withan oiltank, the dome H, having therein a. perforated dia- .7o phrag n, siphon, float, and flexible sleeye, 0011 structed and arranged'substantiallyin the man ner as described, and for the-p'nrpoaest forth.'

In s iiwh i' I aflix 1 .1w smwur n presenge oftwdwitnessesrf JOHNL.

.Witnesses: J. H. BUBRIDGE,

H.,BURR1DGE. 

